NHL Trade Rumors: 5 teams who need to trade for Mitch Marner

5. Dallas Stars

Thanks to the play of Vezina Trophy candidate Ben Bishop and a stingy defense that allowed the second fewest goals in hockey (202), the Dallas Stars fell just one goal shy in reaching the Western Conference Final.

First-year head coach Jim Montgomery implemented an excellent and effective defensive system that the young Stars bought into. Dallas took down the powerhouse Nashville Predators in the opening round of the playoffs before falling to the St. Louis Blues in double overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Despite the successful season, it’s quite evident that the Stars are in need of some more scoring up front if they want to build off of 2018-19. Dallas ranked 29th in goals for during the regular season (210), as captain Jamie Benn struggled immensely with just 53 points. After he, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov, Radek Faksa was the Stars’ top scorer with 15 goals and 30 points.

The Stars have one of the deepest and most talented blue lines in all of hockey, so general manager Jim Nill can easily sacrifice one of them if it means adding a star forward who can play behind Seguin.

Drafted third overall by the Stars in 2017, Miro Heiskanen has displayed the ability to grow into a franchise-changing blueliner. With tremendous hockey IQ and world-class skating, Heiskanen is the type of player Toronto needs in its quest to compete for a Stanley Cup. He had 12 goals and 33 points in his rookie season.

This would be a tough trade for Nill, but he knows the defense will survive just fine with John Klingberg plus youngsters Julius Honka and Esa Lindell. With plenty of cap space, the Stars could even target somebody like Erik Karlsson or Jake Gardiner to offset the departure of Heiskanen.

This is a pure one-for-one hockey trade. Dallas gets a superstar forward to help regrow the offense. The Maple Leafs get a true No. 1 defenseman who they can build around for years to come. The Stars are loaded with blueliners, and the Maple Leafs have more than enough offense up front. It makes perfect sense for both teams here since they would both be addressing their biggest voids.

4. Arizona Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes narrowly missed the playoffs this season by just four points — extending their drought to seven years. It’s time for general manager John Chayka to get more aggressive and look to add more superstar talent in the offseason — be it through trade or in the free agent market.

Arizona is one of the few teams that can afford to give Marner a lucrative deal worth $10-plus million a season, and among the only clubs that can offer the Maple Leafs a strong return in a potential blockbuster trade.

The Coyotes ranked 27th in offense during the regular season. Nobody scored 20 goals, and Clayton Keller led the team with just 47 points. If new head coach Rick Tocchet could just get that one legitimate top-line center, the Coyotes would have all the pieces in place to return to the playoffs in 2020.

Toronto would definitely need a top-four blueliner in a trade with Arizona, and Dubas might prefer getting a top-six forward as part of the return. And if he wants to get bold, maybe Dubas offers up William Nylander following a frustrating 2018-19 season.

The Coyotes get a true star and a potential 30-goal man in Nylander, who will surely bounce back after practically half the season due to a contract holdout. In return, Toronto gets an affordable center in Alex Galchenyuk, an annual 20-goal and 50-point threat.

But the big catch here is slick Swedish blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson, one of the more well-rounded defencemen in the NHL. He carries a hefty $8.25 million cap hit through 2026-27, but unloading Nylander here makes room for the defenceman’s contract.

Ekman-Larsson has scored double-digit goals seven times and is good for around 40-50 points a season. He would supply Toronto with a perfect partner for Morgan Rielly on the first pairing.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have plenty of what the Maple Leafs need most right now: Quality, affordable and responsible blueliners.

Carolina made a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Final this season, before getting swept by the Bruins. It’s clear that head coach Rod Brind’Amour needs a little more scoring up front if his club is to reach the next level, but the Hurricanes will have to sacrifice one of the top blueliners in return.

It’s highly unlikely that the Hurricanes would trade Jaccob Slavin, but Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Justin Faulk, and Haydn Fleury could all be available. And if the Maple Leafs are especially ecstatic about dumping the contract of disgruntled blueliner Nikita Zaitsev? Well, now we’re talking about one blockbuster trade that could involve several big names.

The Hurricanes get a new franchise star to build around in Marner. And while taking on Zaitsev’s might not be their preference, it’s necessary to make a trade happen. Toronto simply needs the cap space, plus the Hurricanes have about $28.761 million to work with, per CapFriendly. They can afford to take on Zaitsev’s hefty deal, plus he’s capable of playing in their top four.

Toronto gets two top four defencemen in this trade. Faulk is heading into the final year of his contract, and the Hurricanes are unlikely to keep him past 2020, so it’s a win-win to simply throw him in if it means getting Marner.

In Hamilton, Toronto would finally have a true No. 1 defenceman they haven’t had in the post-lockout era. He’s registered double-digit goals in five straight seasons, tallying 35 in the last two years. Put him together with Rielly, and Toronto’s offense gets even more dangerous. More importantly, both Faulk and Hamilton are sound defensively, thus fixing Toronto’s messy play in its own zone.

2. Nashville Predators

After another frustrating and early playoff exit, Nashville Predators general manager David Poile will most certainly make a bold and aggressive move or two this offseason. His number one task is to bring in a first or second line center, and Marner would fill that void perfectly.

Nashville ranked just 19th in goals scored during the regulars season (240). Kyle Turris, whom the Predators acquired from the Ottawa Senators in 2017, hasn’t been able to fill the No. 2 center role. He had a mere seven goals and 23 points in 55 games for the Predators and didn’t do much during the postseason (one goal and one assist).

Last month, Darren Dreger appeared on TSN 690 and said the Predators “have a fair bit of interest” in pending UFA Matt Duchene, who scored 31 goals and 70 points this season. Without a doubt, Duchene would be able to fill Nashville’s No. 2 center void, but Poile should go big and target Marner in a trade as well.

Duchene is 28 years of age and only has so many prime years left. Marner is the more valuable player who would help the Predators more than Duchene could. And of course, the Predators have the pieces Toronto desperately needs.

The Maple Leafs might prefer P.K. Subban in a potential Marner trade with the Predators, but Dubas simply won’t be able to afford a $9 million cap hit for three more years. And so, he settles on a capable top-pairing blueliner in Mattias Ekholm, who carries an absolute bargain $3.75 million cap hit for three more years.

Toronto also gets a five-time 20-goal scorer in Craig Smith, who only has one year left on his contract. Smith is perfectly capable of playing anywhere in the top nine for Toronto, and if he plays well, he can earn an extension.

That’s two nice return pieces for Dubas, while the Predators land a potential franchise-changing forward. Even if it means sacrificing their third-best defenseman, it’s absolutely worth it.

1. Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers have only won two playoff series’ since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2010, having last accomplished the feat in 2012. The organization has also qualified for the postseason just three times in the past seven years – 2014, 2016 and 2018.

General manager Chuck Fletcher has to shake up this core a bit if he wants to rebuild the Flyers into a Stanley Cup contender, instead of icing a team that might qualify for the postseason once every couple of years.

Hiring Alain Vigneault as the new head coach was a great starting point, but Fletcher needs to bolster an offense that ranked just 17th in goals for this season with 244. Remember, he traded away power forward Wayne Simmonds, a pending UFA, to the Nashville Predators. There’s one void in the top six that must be filled.

The Flyers have three strong centers in perennial All-star Claude Giroux, two-way stud Sean Couturier and 21-year-old Travis Konecny. But if Fletcher lands Marner and puts him behind Giroux, Philadelphia’s offense would reach another level of dominance under Vigneault. The Flyers are also loaded with quality young blueliners, so Fletcher would be offer to put together a big package for Marner.

This may seem like a lackluster return for the Maple Leafs, but it’s not. They already have Matthews and Tavares, so why pay Marner over $10 million a season? The above proposal would be addition by subtraction for Dubas.

In Konecny, Toronto would be getting a much cheaper center with back-to-back 24-goal seasons on his resume. Konecny is also the same age as Marner. But the real prize here would be blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere, who would give the Leafs an elite puck mover.

With so many good prospects already in the system, it doesn’t hurt Philly to surrender Lindblom or a second rounder. They get the best player in this trade, while Toronto gets two young and cheap roster pieces.